How it began

Grace Clements at home in Hillier.

Women’s Institute Art and Craft Sale turns 30

On Thursday the Prince Edward Fairgrounds will be teeming with people eagerly browsing the wares for that one-of-a-kind treasure that can only be found at the Women’s Institute Annual Art and Craft sale. Scattered among four buildings and over the grounds linking the buildings will be more than 200 vendors, each offering handmade art, wood crafts, sewing, pottery, jewellry, soap and much more.

The wildly popular show is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. Its beginnings were more humble.

Grace Clements and her husband, Bill, had moved to Hillier after raising their family in Toronto. For Grace, the highlight each summer was attending the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto and spending the afternoon at what was known as the Women’s building, surveying the many and varied crafts on display. She appreciated the talent on offer and was inspired to learn new techniques and ideas.

“I knew there were a lot of arts and craft going on in the County but rarely did you see it,” said Grace. “It was something I missed—and I wanted to see it here.”

She was district president of the WI at the time and decided the County should have a show to display the talent and handiwork of the women in this community. They had planned from the outset to set the show at the fairgrounds in Picton—but earlier that year the arena burned to the ground. The show was moved to Wellington.

We invited people to come and show what they did,” said Grace. “It was much smaller, of course. But we filled the arena. I thought it would be a good way to get together and show what we could do.”

As the event grew in popularity, so did the pressure to open it up to other vendors. Grace was adamant that anything shown had to be the original handcrafted work of the vendor. It remains that way 30 years later.

“It had to be your own work,” said Clements. “It was mostly Women’s Institute members who took part that first year, but we invited others to show their work as well. We always kept it so that you could only sell something you made yourself.”

Since then, Grace has rarely missed the annual event, which remains set for the first Thursday in August. She developed a talent for bookbinding specializing in the restoration of bibles and old books.

Family commitments elsewhere will keep Grace away this year—but she is pleased her idea caught on and remains so popular 30 years later.